Charter of Umbrella
The Charter of Umbrella is the document which prescribes and establishes the government and the basic rules of the alliance Umbrella. Umbrella is ruled by a democratically elected president who appoints a vice-president and his ministers. The alliance is run by the parasols, who are charged with determining which treaties Umbrella will sign and which applicants will be accepted. Text of the Charter Preamble We, the sovereign nations of The Umbrella Alliance, unite under this charter to promote the values of peace, stability, and growth and to provide for the common defense of all members. Article I: Admission and Membership Section I: Admission 1. Nations wishing to apply must submit their application in the pinned application thread located on the Umbrella forums, following the explicit directions contained therein. 2. After submitting an application, nations approved by the Generator will be given instructions regarding how to initiate their interview and continue the admissions process. 3. Admissions interviews will be conducted by the Umbrellian Membership, and shall last no more than 7 days barring alliance war or exception granted by the President, VP, or the Generator. During this period the applicant must be subjected to at least one set of questions in Umbrella's admissions IRC channel. 4. An applicant is admitted by the Parasols. 5. The President and Vice President retain veto power over any affirmative decision. Vetoes must be exercised only through Presidential Decision and are to be accompanied with a post detailing the reasons for the veto. 6. During the interview period, the applicant shall wear the alliance affiliation "Umbrella Applicant" and be bound by this document and will yield to the instruction and orders of the Umbrella Government. Section II: Membership 1. Members of Umbrella shall use the alliance affiliation of "Umbrella" without exception and shall be members solely of Umbrella. Non-member nations are not permitted to use the alliance affiliation of "Umbrella". 2. Members are expected to be respectful of non-members and members alike, and show restraint when acting otherwise would jeopardize the security or stability of Umbrella. 3. Membership is conferred by the Parasols in synergy with the President, and may be withdrawn by either assembly. 4. Upon admission, all members hold the honor, rights, and privileges pertaining to their rank. 5. Within no more than 10 days of admission, all members must be present on the black trading sphere unless granted exemption by the President or Vice President. 6. Members are ranked in the following order: a. Umbrellian: an admitted member b. Parasol: an admitted member who has been promoted based on their interest in promoting the goodwill of Umbrella and continues to display the highest level of activity. The Parasols work with ministry officials to ensure Umbrella’s prosperity in their respective fields. 7. Any Umbrellian who has been in the alliance for 30 days or more may apply for a promotion. The minister of the field in which the Umbrellian is applying for has the right to approve or deny the applications. If denied, the minister must give their reasoning for denial to the applicant in private. 8. Parasol membership will automatically expire on the first of every month, at which point, ministers must decide to renew or cancel their respective helpers' membership in the Parasol body. 9. Members may be demoted from the rank of Parasol or expelled from the alliance by Presidential or Vice-Presidential decision. Additionally, two or more Parasols may request to the President and Vice President to decide an issue of membership status from the alliance. 10. The Parasols reserve the right to overrule a Presidential decision regarding membership status. To overrule a Presidential decision regarding membership status, 2 or more members of the Parasols must post their objections to the decision in a new topic detailing their reasoning followed by a vote. The vote must receive 2/3rds majority votes to pass. 11. Any member ranking Umbrellian or higher may call a vote of no confidence on the president at any time upon receiving a second from no less than five members of equal rank or higher. 12. In the case that Article I §3.11 is enacted and passed, the membership will hold a vote on a new President, and the winning candidate will take their place. This interim official will serve the remainder of the removed official's term, unless this will cause the interim to serve for greater than one month, in which case elections will be held as described under article III to determine who should serve the rest of the expelled officer's term. Article II: Governance The governing body of Umbrella consists of the President, the Vice-President, and the Parasolian Cabinet. The President and Vice-President reserve the right to appoint or remove any member-state from a Seat at any time for any reason. Each minister controls his or her respective division, which is comprised of Parasols willing to assist the ministers with their tasks. Each minister has the power to accept, expel, promote and demote any member-state into, from and within their own division. Section I: The President The President is the head of the alliance, and oversees the alliance’s internal and external operations, and possesses the power not explicitly listed in this charter. 1. The President is elected to a period of 4 months. 2. The President, in conjunction with the Vice-President, can appoint Parasolian ministers for each division. 3. In an absence of the President, the Vice-President will assume the duties of the President. 4. Should the President step down, the Vice-President will become the President until the end of the election cycle. Section II: The Vice President The VP is the 2nd in command to the alliance and serves as the President's highest advisor. The VP is to ensure all proclamations and declarations made by the President are carried out completely. Furthermore, the VP is expected to ensure that the individual member-states of Umbrella are contributing in their respective divisions and maintaining an acceptable level of activity. Should the VP assume the position of President, an interim VP will be selected by the new President to serve out the remainder of the term. Section III: Internal Governance This department is charged with the day-to-day affairs of the alliance. While the President and Vice-President have the final word, this department is effectively in charge of alliance policy. The department will handle both peace and wartime aspects of the alliance, and as such will have two ministers comprised of the Field Marshal and the Generator. These positions will trade ministerial control of the department whenever Umbrella enters or exits a war, but will maintain a close working relationship at all times to ensure successful transitions. The Parasol staff of the department will fill both war and peace-related roles. 1. Field Marshal The Field Marshal (henceforth known as FM) is the supreme commander of Umbrella’s armed forces. The FM’s duty is to take any and all measures necessary to secure the safety and well-being of Umbrella and her member-states. The FM is expected to establish and maintain a military structure that allows for an efficient and active army. However, the FM may not declare war on another sovereign alliance without the expressed permission of the President and Vice President. The FM may also create any titles or organizations he deems necessary to fulfill his duties. 2. The Generator The Generator is charged with the running of Umbrella's internal affairs during peacetime. This includes masking and interviewing applicant nations to Umbrella, ensuring the media establishment is running at maximum potential, ensure all member-states within the alliance are kept informed of external affairs, and oversee publication of the Parasol Press. The Generator is charged with the administration of Umbrella's collective and loaned properties, including but not limited to web forums and internet relay chat (IRC) channels, and any moderation thereof. The Generator may create any titles or organizations he deems necessary to fulfill his duties. Section IV: The Envoys The Envoys are the voice of Umbrella and handle all diplomatic affairs pertaining to the alliance. It is the duty of the Envoys to establish and maintain Umbrella’s Foreign Affairs Corps and to ensure the diplomats of Umbrella represent the goals and ideals of the alliance accurately. Furthermore, it is the responsibility of the Envoys to negotiate all treaties between Umbrella and foreign powers. It is the Envoys' job to confer with the alliance regarding Umbrella’s diplomatic efforts and discuss it with the membership before ratifying a potential treaty. Lastly, the Envoys are expected to maintain the Embassy Row, purging inactive embassies and ensuring foreign diplomats are properly identified. The Envoys may also create any titles or organizations he deems necessary to fulfill his duties. The Head Envoy is the organizational head of the department, is considered a top 3 position during peace and casts the department's vote. Section V: The Economist The Economist controls all fiscal assets belonging to Umbrella. It is his duty of the to provide for the growth of the alliance by ensuring aid slots are filled with technology deals, and set up back collects when a member requires it. He and his team are also responsible for finding trade circles for the member-states of Umbrella. The Economist may also create any titles or organizations he deems necessary to fulfill his duties. Article III: Elections Section I: General Structure and Oversight 1. President elections will be held during the final two weeks of every fourth month. Each nominated President selects a VP as a running mate. 2. Every member of the alliance is eligible to vote. 3. The Generator shall run the election process, or select a member to administer the elections if he chooses not to. 4. Elections will consist of three phases: nominations, debating, and voting. The nominations and debating phases will last no less than 72 hours, but may be extended at the discretion of the election officer. Votes last 72 hours (see Article III §3, below). The election officer is also tasked with opening and closing nominations and voting. 5. Elections will not extend past the end of the month. 6. All elected candidates come into power on the 1st of the following month. Section II: Nominations 1. To run in an election, a member, residing in the alliance for greater than three months, must be nominated by at least two other alliance members, neither of whom are either the current President or Vice-President. All nominees must formally accept their nomination to be included on the ballot, either by posting in the nomination thread or by contacting the election officer directly. Section III: Voting 1. Voting for the President will last 72 hours, at which point the candidate with a majority of the votes will be elected. Votes will be cast on a ranked ballot to be processed as outlined in Article III §3.2. 2. If no candidate receives a simple majority of votes cast as first choice, the candidate with the fewest first choice votes shall be eliminated from contention. The votes apportioned to that candidate will then be distributed according to the second choice of each affected vote cast. This process continues until a candidate is elected. 3. Should a candidate concede the election, their votes will be re-tallied under each voter's next choice. 4. A majority is strictly defined as greater than half. 5. Any tie shall be resolved by an algorithm of the Generator's choosing. Article IV: Decision Guidelines Section I: Presidential Decision 1. Presidential decisions are considered gospel, unless overturned by a Parasol decision outlined in Article IV §1.3. 2. Article IV §1.1 does not apply to a declaration of war, which requires an agreement between the President and VP. 3. A Parasol decision (i.e. admission of applicants, ratification and cancelation of treaties, or the overturning of a Presidential decision regarding promotion or demotion) is rendered by a vote lasting 72 hours in which the option affirming the decision receives 2/3 or more of the total votes (excluding abstentions). Section II: Public Decision 1. A public decision (i.e. an amendment or the removal of a President or Minister from office) is rendered by a vote in which the entire alliance may participate, with at least half of the alliance casting votes, when the option affirming the decision receives 3/4 or more of the total votes (excluding abstentions). Article V: Policies Section I: War 1. Wars as a result of mutual treaty activation will be honored. An activation of an optional treaty requires unanimous consent between the President, VP, and FM. An aggressive strike requires consent between the President, VP, and 2/3rds of the ministers. 2. No member of Umbrella may declare war on another nation unless Umbrella as a whole is at war with that nation or that nation's alliance except in the circumstances outlined in Section IV. 3. No member of the alliance may surrender unless directed to do so by the President and VP. 4. Umbrella maintains a nuclear arsenal in order to provide adequate security and protection for its members. In the event of aggression against Umbrella, it should come as no surprise if Umbrella uses all available means to incapacitate any assailant and minimize a threat, including the use of nuclear weapons. Section II: Raiding 1. A valid raid target shall be determined at the discretion of the Field Marshal/President. The Field Marshal and President are encouraged to base their choice on internal guidelines, but the decision is ultimately up to them. 2. Raids will be authorized by the Field Marshal/President on a case by case basis only; raids will consist of ground attacks only, and peace must be offered following every set of attacks. 3. Retaliation to counterattacks by the raid target shall be made solely at the the authorization of the field marshal or designate. Article V: Amendment Section I: Proposal Any member may propose an amendment to this charter. Prior to being brought to a vote, the proposal must receive support from at least 2 other members in good standing. Article VI: The Essenia Doctrine 1. If a member of any level mentions scoring with an opposite gender, that member is required to post pictures of said scoring. Failure to do so will result in punishment, and possible expulsion from the alliance. Scantily-clad pictures are encouraged, but not necessary. Links * Umbrella * Umbrella Portal * Alliance Charters Category:Umbrella Category:Constitutional Documents Category:Alliance charters